Improvement in musical toys



0. W. BANKS.

MUSICAL TOY.

No. 188,839. Patented March 27,1877.

INVENTOR. a/a I; 7 aweg WITN ESSES N-PETERS. PYHO'KLLITHOGRAPMER, WASHINGTON- D C,

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFIGE CHARLES W. BANKS, OF ELK RIDGE LANDING, MARYLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN MUSICAL Tovs.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 188,839, dated March 27, 1877; application filed January 23, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. BANKS, of Elk Ridge Landing, in the county of Howard and State of Maryland, have invented a new and valuable Improvement in Musical Toys; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same. reference being had to the annexed drawings, making apart of this specification, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a representation of a perspective view of my musical toy, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof.

The object of this invention is to provide a small, simple, cheap instrument which is capable of sounding a variety of tones, the particular tone sounded depending upon the degree of compression of the operators lips.

In the accompanying drawing, A designates a cylindrical wooden stafior rod, which is deeply cloven at one end, so as to leave two corresponding elastic lips, B B. In the cleft b between said lips is a thin plate, 0, the rear end of which is set into a socket or small block, 0, that is riveted or otherwise permanently secured at the base of said cleft, while its other end is free. By holding the side of said cleft to the operators mouth and blowing through it, a note is produced, varying in shrillness and tone according to the width of said cleft. Said width is regulated by compressing the operators lips more or less tightly upon lips B B, already described. In this Waythe notes of many birds may be imitated, and the instrument may, therefore, be used as a lure for wild fowl and other game, as well as for amusement.

Metal, paper, or other material may be substituted for wood in rod A and lips B B, and their shape may be considerably varied. When compression is removed from said lips B B, their elasticity causes them to resume their former position. The plate or reed U is preferably formed of metal but paper, wood, or any other suitable material may be used in the construction thereof.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A musical instrument having two parallel elastic lips secured to or formed upon a rigid rod or stem, in combination with a vibrating plate or .tongue arranged flatwise between said lips, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES W. BANKS.

Witnesses:

- J. FRED AGKEB,J1.,

J. B. LooMIs. 

